Wii U Launch Event: What We're Expecting

Share.

It's time for Nintendo to reveal its plans - but what will it reveal?

By Richard George

With its promised global deadline fast approaching, it appears as though Nintendo is finally ready to reveal launch plans for Wii U - at least for North America. This Thursday, September 13, at 10am ET, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime will make a presentation in New York City, presumably to give the press and public the details they have been waiting for.

Last week we identified the hurdles that stand in the way of Nintendo and a successful Wii U debut. But what the publisher has to do, and what we think it will do, are two different things entirely. With that in mind we gathered a variety of editors to get their thoughts on what Nintendo might announce for its new console, ranging from the system's price to its hypothetical launch line-up.

1) What do you think the North American Wii U price will be? Will there be multiple SKUs? Will there be a bundle? Multiple color options?

"Given all that has happened with the 3DS, I expect Nintendo to be reasonably aggressive with the Wii U pricing. The controller, however, forces the company to accept certain realities about costs, and I am positive the publisher has no intention of losing money with this venture. While $249 would be the smartest price point for the system, making it immediately competitive with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, I somehow feel like $299 will be where Nintendo of America settles. This is a bit high to be immediately appealing, and that’s where Nintendo will have its work cut out." - Richard George; Executive Editor, IGN.com

"Realistically, I expect a price in North America that falls between $249-299. My guess is that Nintendo will sell the Wii U with pretty slim margins (and remember, the underlying tech is on par with Sony's six-year-old PS3, so it can't be that expensive) and make up the different with pricey accessories. A second tablet costs half as much as the console itself, perhaps? I wouldn't be surprised." - Jeremy Parish; Editor-in-Chief, 1Up.com

2) For the past decade Nintendo has launched its North American systems in mid-November. Will Wii U hit that date? What date do you think is realistic? Will this be a day & date global launch, or will we see some territories slip – possibly into 2013?

"November 18. I know this is a boring prediction, but Nintendo loves launching on Sundays – so I think we’ll see a November 18 US release to capitalize on the Thanksgiving shopping week. Japan will launch that same week, but not on a Sunday. The international launches will be later – with UK hitting in 2012 and other PAL territories slipping into 2013." - Peer Schneider; Publisher, IGN.com

"If there's one thing that Nintendo can count on, it's Christmas in North America. We'll have the Wii U (and a carefully-planned shortage of units for good PR) in mid November. I think Japan will get the system a few days after North America, and Europe may just have to wait until 2013. Unlikely: Wii U is ready to ship, and we'll be bringing a few consoles back to the office next week." - Sam Claiborn; Executive Editor, IGN.com

3) Do you expect Nintendo to confirm a launch line-up? Is that critical for them to announce at the conference? What do you think makes Day One – and what do you think comes later?

"It is absolutely critical that Nintendo announces the launch lineup at this event, but I’m still not entirely certain it will. I’m sure a few things will get release dates, but not everything. In any case, we know Nintendo Land will make launch, and (for better or worse) I’m thinking this will be the new system’s headline title. I have a feeling New Super Mario Bros. U will come a bit after launch, though likely still within the launch window." - Audrey Drake; Associate Editor, IGN.com

"Missing Black Friday (and thus, largely missing Christmas) in the U.S. would be suicide. Nintendo doesn’t exactly have a rich history of playing by the rules when it comes to, well, anything, but even the company’s riskiest of risk takers know that missing that hard bottom line would be a huge, huge loss. I doubt that Japan and Europe will be any more than a week or so behind or ahead where the U.S. date lands, however. Although Nintendo has had a nice recent streak of screwing over North America and favoring Europe (re: Operation Rainfall). So, uh, fingers crossed?" - Brian Altano; Senior Editor, IGN.com

4) What details do you expect regarding Wii U’s online capabilities? Do you think the console launches with its full online suite (eShop, online play, Miiverse, etc.) or do you expect some functionality is delayed?

"I imagine they'll have barebones versions of their major online features ready day one, especially eShop. Supposedly we'll be able to transfer our WiiWare and Virtual Console stuff to Wii U, so I would assume that they'll want us to do the double-system thing like they did with DSi/3DS -- which means they'll never hear the end of it if that function isn't available at launch. But the value of a lot of the system's innovations, such as Miiverse, seem to be more software-dependent than integral to the console. Chances are pretty good we won't see much software that makes strong use of those concepts for a while, outside of one or two showcase first-party titles. You know how Nintendo is with its gimmicks: They deal almost entirely in great ideas that rarely get the support they deserve." - Jeremy Parish

"I think eShop and Miiverse will be available at launch – and I think Nintendo Land will be the incentive for people to connect their Wii U, visit the eShop, and opt in to messaging. If it’s not the entire game that’s downloadable at launch, it may be a component or special free DLC. I think Assassin’s Creed III will offer online play at launch, but there won’t be a headset. But you’ll of course be able to call your friends on the phone if you want to gloat about a poison take-down." - Peer Schneider

5) Do you anticipate any new game announcements – or any surprises? Will Nintendo reveal more third party support?

"I’m fairly confident we’ll see some game announcements, whether from Nintendo or other publishers. The way new titles have been announced for the platform has been poorly handled, but it just seems likely that there’s more on the way. How the 3DS is currently commanding so much attention of Japanese publishers seemingly without much of a look at Wii U is strange to me – I feel like things are being held back, though for what reason I’m not sure. Nintendo hasn’t really articulated why we should care about Wii U beyond its first couple months – and Smash Bros., which seems a year or two away. That’s certainly one of its biggest mistakes, as it will take a fair amount to convince gamers they need another console that doesn’t focus on cutting edge technology." - Richard George

"I’m hoping for a surprise announcement or two, but in all honesty I think it’s unlikely we’ll get any new first party games announced. Nothing big, anyway. I very much hope to be proven wrong, however. As for third party support, it’s entirely possible we’ll have a better idea of what the Wii U has in store from third party developers after this event." - Audrey Drake

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!